5.6

Zatôichi: The Last

2010, Japan, France

• Actors: Shingo Katori, Takashi Sorimachi, Satomi Ishihara, Arata, Chieko Baisho, Mike Han, Yoshio Harada, Kôichi Iwaki, Seishirô Katô, Youki Kudoh, Nana Nagao, Tatsuya Nakadai, Kanzaburo Nakamura, Toshio Shiba, Sosuke Takaoka, Susumu Terajima, Kosuke Toyohara, Takashi Ukaji, Zeebra
• Genre: Animation, Short, Fantasy, Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Horror, Action, Sci-Fi, Family, Romance, Comedy, Crime, Adventure
• Director(s): Junji Sakamoto
• Available languages:
  • Japanese Japanese.

A blind master swordsman attempts to lead a quiet life with his wife but he is provoked back into battle.

  8.3

Ran

1985, Japan, France

• Actors: Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Terao, Jinpachi Nezu, Daisuke Ryû, Mieko Harada, Yoshiko Miyazaki, Hisashi Igawa, Peter, Masayuki Yui, Kazuo Katô, Norio Matsui, Toshiya Ito, Kenji Kodama, Takashi Watanabe, Mansai Nomura, Takeshi Katô, Jun Tazaki, Hitoshi Ueki, Takao Zushi, Yoshitaka Zushi, Tetsuo Yamashita, Akihiko Sugizaki, Masaaki Sasaki, Yoshimitsu Yamaguchi, Masuo Amada, Masaru Sakurai, Sakae Kimura, Ryûjirô Oki, Hanbei Kawai, Ryo Nagasawa
• Genre: Action, Drama, War
• Director(s): Akira Kurosawa
• Available languages:
  • English English.

A story of greed, a lust for power, and ultimate revenge. The Great Lord Hidetora Ichimonji has decided to step aside to make room for the younger blood of his three sons, Taro, Jiro, and Saburo, the Lord's only wish now being to live out his years as an honored guest in the castle of each of his sons in turn. While the older two sons flatter their father, the youngest son attempts to warn him of the folly of expecting the three sons to remain united; enraged at the younger son's attempt to point out the danger, the father banishes him. True to the younger son's warning, however, the oldest Son soon conspires with the second son to strip The Great Lord of everything, even his title.

  7.9

Kagemusha

1979, Japan

• Actors: Tatsuya Nakadai, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Kenichi Hagiwara, Jinpachi Nezu, Hideji Ôtaki, Daisuke Ryû, Masayuki Yui, Kaori Momoi, Mitsuko Baisho, Hideo Murota, Takayuki Shiho, Kôji Shimizu, Noboru Shimizu, Sen Yamamoto, Shuhei Sugimori, Kota Yui, Yasuhito Yamanaka, Kumeko Otowa, Tetsuo Yamashita, Kai Ato, Takashi Ebata, Hiroshi Shimada, Yu Shimaka, Toshiaki Tanabe, Yoshimitsu Yamaguchi, Eiichi Kanakubo, Akihiko Sugizaki, Yugo Miyazaki, Masatsuga Kuriyama, Norio Matsui
• Genre: Drama, History, War
• Director(s): Akira Kurosawa
• Available languages:
  • English English.

When a powerful warlord in medieval Japan dies, a poor thief recruited to impersonate him finds difficulty living up to his role and clashes with the spirit of the warlord during turbulent times in the kingdom.

  8.3

Tengoku to jigoku

1963, Japan

• Actors: Toshirô Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Kyôko Kagawa, Tatsuya Mihashi, Isao Kimura, Kenjiro Ishiyama, Takeshi Katô, Takashi Shimura, Jun Tazaki, Nobuo Nakamura, Yûnosuke Itô, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Minoru Chiaki, Eijirô Tôno, Masao Shimizu, Yutaka Sada, Masahiko Shimazu, Toshio Egi, Kôji Mitsui, Kyû Sazanka, Susumu Fujita, Kamatari Fujiwara, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Kazuo Kitamura, Gen Shimizu, Akira Nagoya, Jun Hamamura, Masao Oda, Kô Nishimura, Yoshifumi Tajima
• Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
• Director(s): Akira Kurosawa
• Available languages:
  • Japanese Japanese.

An executive mortgages all he owns to stage a coup and gain control of the National Shoe Company, with the intent of keeping the company out of the hands of incompetent and greedy executives. He needs the same money, though, to pay the ransom that will possibly save a child's life. His resolution of that dilemma -- the certain loss of the company vs. the probable loss of the child -- makes for one distinct drama, and an ensuing elaborate police procedure makes for a second.

  8.1

Tsubaki Sanjûrô

1961, Japan

• Actors: Toshirô Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Keiju Kobayashi, Yûzô Kayama, Reiko Dan, Akihiko Hirata, Takashi Shimura, Kamatari Fujiwara, Takako Irie, Masao Shimizu, Yûnosuke Itô, Akira Kubo, Kenzo Matsui, Hiroshi Tachikawa, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Kunie Tanaka, Tatsuyoshi Ehara, Tatsuhiko Hari, Kôji Uruki, Yutaka Sada
• Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama
• Director(s): Akira Kurosawa
• Available languages:
  • Japanese Japanese.

A group of idealistic young men, determined to clean up the corruption in their town, are aided by a scruffy, cynical samurai who does not at all fit their concept of a noble warrior.

  8.4

Yôjinbô

1961, Japan

• Actors: Toshirô Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yôko Tsukasa, Isuzu Yamada, Daisuke Katô, Seizaburô Kawazu, Takashi Shimura, Hiroshi Tachikawa, Yosuke Natsuki, Eijirô Tôno, Kamatari Fujiwara, Ikio Sawamura, Atsushi Watanabe, Susumu Fujita, Kyû Sazanka, Kô Nishimura, Takeshi Katô, Ichirô Nakatani, Sachio Sakai, Akira Tani, Namigoro Rashomon, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Gen Shimizu, Yutaka Sada, Shin Ôtomo, Shôichi Hirose, Eisei Amamoto, Shôji Oki, Fuminori Ohashi, Hiroshi Yoseyama
• Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Thriller
• Director(s): Akira Kurosawa
• Available languages:
  • Japanese Japanese,
  • English English.

Sanjuro, a wandering samurai enters a rural town in nineteenth century Japan. After learning from the innkeeper that the town is divided between two gangsters, he plays one side off against the other. His efforts are complicated by the arrival of the wily Unosuke, the son of one of the gangsters, who owns a revolver. Unosuke has Sanjuro beaten after he reunites an abducted woman with her husband and son, then massacres his father's opponents. During the slaughter, the samurai escapes with the help of the innkeeper; but while recuperating at a nearby temple, he learns of innkeeper's abduction by Unosuke, and returns to the town to confront him.